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Friday, December 30, 2016

I intentionally picked a route to
Auckland via Hong Kong. Six and half hours of lay over, I thought, would give
me enough time to get a glimpse of one my most favorite cities in the world.
Moreover, I was meeting my friend Stefan after a long time and so, it was
moment of double joy to be there.

My flight to Hong Kong was
uneventful. Immigration process in HK is the fastest I have experienced so far.
Once out of the airport, I took the return pass on Airport express for HK$ 100
and loaded some money on my octopus card. I took the airport express back to
Central and reached there in just 30 minutes where I met Stefan.

Stefan and I enjoy talking as we
walk. We have done that before during my previous visit to HK and also during
our walk around Kudligi town. It is extremely enjoyable, especially in a city
like HK. You are walking, talking, listening and also absorbing the spectacular
views.

We caught up on our latest
updates as we walked around the HK Island. Stefan and his wife Yulia had just
returned after their yearlong stay in Mexico and he had some interesting stories
to share. He also informed me that the junk boat (Ancient Chinese boats with
red main sail) that, I remember sailing in the harbor, had some interesting adventures.

Apparently, the boat sank during the
2014 typhoon and the company who owned it failed to retrieve it back. So, as it
remained sunk, they sold it to another company who then funded its recovery and
restoration. Now the boat is back, sailing
as a piece of history, adorning the harbor view, back dropped by HK’s modern
architecture. Stefan always has such interesting information about the cities
he lives in. These small facts after all, make up a city.

I desired a walk on the promenade
and so, we took a ferry to cross the harbor and reach Tsim Sha Tsui. Unfortunately,
the promenade (Avenue of stars) was closed and statues were removed for some improvement
work that will continue till 2018. Nevertheless, this side of the harbor provides
one of the best views of HK skyline.

We headed back to the main island
to grab some quick lunch at a western vegetarian café called Mana! I had some
healthy flats with egg and roasted vegetables. It was excellent. The narrow and
dense streets of HK Island were populated by the office goers stepping out for a
lunch. This locality also has some really cool karaoke bars and pubs.

Due to lack of time, we packed
our food and ate it as we walked back to the metro station. I bid farewell to
Stefan before taking the airport express back to the airport, only to find out
that my flight was delayed by an hour. However, despite the limited time I spent, I was
more than happy to visit HK again and meet my good old friend.

Thursday, December 29, 2016

When does a travel actually
begin? Does it commence when you arrive at the destination or did it all begin when
you boarded the flight, or while you were planning the nitty-gritties or should
one go back to the moment when this idea was first perceived? Untraceable thus
is the origin of a travel – Journey of a tiny spark that grew into a flame and
spread like a wild fire, burning tirelessly within oneself, to keep the passion
alive is a fascinating one by itself. Mesmerizing indeed is a story of passion.
But all one sees is the execution of this passion that actually began several
years ago, perhaps in a living room while watching a television show or while
on a walk under the starry night sky during a power shutdown.

I am not exactly sure when the
idea of traveling to NZ in particular, occurred to me first. Perhaps, it was while making a
list of countries based on area or may be, after one of my French class friends
traveled there. I sure did buy a DK publication guide to the country, about
four years ago. I originally planned a trip to NZ during fall, to view the
spectacular display of colours. I even printed out a map and marked the towns I
wished to visit. However, that plan did not work for several reasons including
definitely the expense involved and the dearth of vacations.

The beginning of my Solo
backpacking last year to Sri Lanka boosted in me the confidence to fly
further, explore more and take additional risks. I always had NZ on the back of
my mind. However, this year, I did explore other options. Nothing was concrete
until October though. That was when I was sure that I was traveling to NZ. By
mid-October I had booked my flight and had begun to investigate on the Visa
formalities. I ordered my “Lonely planet” guide book which arrived later that
month and remained on my shelf, untouched, unattended for several days.

The Suspicious Agent...

A travel agent mainly handled my
Singapore visa that I got earlier this year, as that seems to be the only way. Though
applying for an NZ visa on your own did not seem very complicated, I failed to generate
that enthusiasm to go through their long descriptions on the procedure. So, I
attempted an easier way known to me from the previous experience. First, I
approached VFS global. Unfortunately they only offer Visa support to Australia
and not NZ. I began to Google for some other agents in Bangalore and came
across – Global Gateways.

The interiors of the Global
gateways office had a very dull and worn out appearance with dirty glass
separations and dusty furniture. Though the office space had a few cabins
separated by grimy glasses, the entire space was visible from where one stood.
A girl welcomed me and handed me a form to be filled. They needed my qualification,
experience, land I owned, my salary, my marital status etc. Before filling it,
I checked with her if this was required for a tourist visa. She asked me to
fill it anyways as a protocol they abided to. The filled form was then handed
to another girl who asked me to step into another cabin. She went through the
form and needlessly verified the things that were declared by me only a few
seconds ago. Then came in, her manager; short and stout little man with a grim
look on his face, as if, he was going to do me a big favour.

He glanced through my form and
informed me almost immediately that in general, they do not do tourist visas.
They mainly cater to people requiring a study or work visa and specially those
whose visa has been previously rejected. Apparently, they prepare a case so
valid that the consulate “has” to issue a visa to the applicant.

He also informed me that for my
experience, I could get a good job in Australia with an attractive salary. I
denied that offer and requested only for a tourist visa, that too, to NZ. He
requested me to share this with other friends of mine anyways. That, I easily agreed
to. He then enquired if I was traveling with my family. I shook my head and
told him that I was traveling alone. He gave me that typical Indian look which
I often witness – A sudden and random blend of surprise and suspicion,
enveloped with extreme curiosity. He asked me why was I traveling alone, to
which I replied saying that I was backpacking in the country. That answer was
not convincing at all for him and probably did not even understand what it
meant. He still looked suspicious about my intentions and that made me a little
uncomfortable. He said that it was easy to get a visa if I traveled with family
but in my case, the consulate could get suspicious. I wonder who was doubtful -
the consulate or him.

By now, I was very annoyed and
wanted to walk out but not without giving him a fitting reply. I made him aware
of the fact that NZ visa can be applied for online and I was there just because
I did not have the time to do so. He disagreed with me and said that there was
no online application for NZ. For his offers, apart from the visa fee, he told
me that he would be charging Rs.11000 processing fee. I quickly got up and told
them that I would get back. As I hurriedly walked out of the office without a
glance back, I trashed their visiting card.

That experience made me laugh but
most importantly, it arose in me, an excitement to begin my expedition. After
all, I should have done that in the first place. So, I went back home and read
through the NZ visa website and realized that NZ is a backpacker friendly
country. Online application is valid for solo travelers and the process is
extremely simple.

6. Approach TT services office in
your city along with a print of the confirmation page, original passport and a
DD of the amount mentioned in their website as a processing fee (Rs 630 for
me).

7. Drop the documents at TT
services with the address you wish to receive it back at.

8. They will send it to Mumbai or
Delhi office, depending on where you are situated.

9. Within two weeks, if not
earlier, you shall have your passport back with a visa stamp (Mine took 1.5
weeks due to Diwali holidays).

I was all excited to see my visa
stamp printed on the Passport. Hong Kong, Macau, Sri Lanka or Singapore does
not provide stamped visa. The only stamped visa I have is that of the US and it
is good to see another one. This visitor visa allows you a one-year multiple
entry permit with a maximum of 30 days of stay during a visit. Extension can be
applied for with valid reasoning. Pretty easy, isn't it?

The preparation…

So, with my visa in hand, I
glanced through the lonely planet book to see what places I must visit and what
I could skip. I learnt about the Routeburn track and other tramping and hiking
in NZ and found a need to do some serious shopping to prepare myself. Most
important of all was to buy a good backpack. I went to Decathlon and a very knowledgeable
and friendly sales guy helped me choose a bag.

Quechua Symbium Access 70+10L bag
is perfect. This was the biggest they had. It has been my companion for three
weeks and I can tell you for certain that it has been one of the best. It has a
separate compartment at the base that you can use to store shoes or dirty
clothes. An extra 10 L top pouch can hold stuff as well. The main bag has top and
front opening. The front zipper is extremely useful as it provides easy access
to the items that has sunk deep into the bag. Of course it also has some
padding for support, which I am sure, reduced all my pains along the way.

My sleeping bag was too big in size
and consumed excessive room in the bag. So, I decided to buy a compact one.
That was one of the best decisions I had made.

Waterproof jacket, pants, thermal
wear and a hiking pole seemed like a must have for trekking in a country with
four seasons in a day. Truly, these gears saved my life as I trekked in extreme
weather conditions.

Though its summer time in the
southern hemisphere, do not expect a warm hot day. The days can be windy and
cold and temperatures can drop much lower in the night, especially in the South
Island. Enough warm clothes are also an essential. You will definitely need to
carry some sunscreen cream to prevent yourself from getting terribly sun burnt.

With all these items, my bag was
full and heavy. I wondered if I could carry this around for three weeks. The
heaviest item was my Quechua trekking shoes; one of the best companions during
my several treks in the country.

After some confusion about what
bus to choose for traveling within NZ (Backpacker buses or local buses), I
finally decided to figure it out when I get there. I wanted to explore the
south island first as it seemed like a trekkers paradise and I am always driven
towards the mountains. With my limited time, I choose to fly directly from
Auckland to Christchurch and booked a flight and a hostel.

With all that, I was ready to go.
There was a lot of excitement and a little bit of anxiety. I was taking some
risks but what is a good travel without them after all? Without them, I don’t
think I shall ever find out what lies on the other side of my world, beyond my
comfort zone.